These cards were usedat Beech House Schoolto help children learn to read.

It was a private schoolwith only 25 childrenaged between 4 and 11.

Muriel Holt

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Muriel Holt

Muriel describes a day at Beech House School:

"You started at 9 am with an assembly taken by the teacher, Miss Head. She always played a hymn on the piano, 'Praise Him, Praise Him all ye little children'.

Then there was a nose blowing session. Then we did little action songs or figure marching, or singing, or percussion band."

"We didnt have separate lessons, because she had us in groups. One lot might be doing transcription lessons or they might be filling in blank sheets, copying from the board, and then the little ones might be learning letters, or sounds of words or learning to tie bows, and the babies would be playing with plasticine. Stories and poems we had together."

"Miss Head was very loving but she couldn't abide people misbehaving. All the furniture was kept absolutely immaculately spotless and polished and you never, never, never put your pencil point into your table or anything like that.I think you'd have been condemned almost to outer darkness if you dared do anything like that"

Beech House was a Preparatory Schoolfor wealthy children.They aimed to prepare childrenfor education in a Public School.

Most children in the 1920s and 1930sattended Elementary Schools,which taught childrenbetween the ages 5 and 14.

They were run, and paid for, by Local Education Authorities.Children mainly studied the '3Rs' of reading, writing and 'rithmetic.

During the 1920s and 1930sschools, and the way children were taught,began to change into the system we know today.

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